While mangas used to be completely paperback, in this era of digitization, creators are slowly moving toward technology and digitizing their work. And even though there is an abundance of manga reading apps in the market, it is always worth ensuring that they’re legitimate. So, we’ve compiled this list of the best manga reader apps for Android and iPhone. Let’s have a look.
1. Shonen Jump – Best Manga Reader App
We can’t talk about the best manga apps without mentioning Shonen Jump. With an entire catalog of VIZ Manga series, Shonen Jump has earned its title of being one of the most popular manga reading apps. It helps that the app is user-friendly and provides a smooth experience when switching between chapters and series. And even though almost all titles are paid, you can access most of the latest chapters for free. Once you’ve opened the manga you want to read, you can either swipe right or use the app slider to switch between chapter panels. You can also zoom in to better read the content. Although signing in isn’t necessary to read the free chapters, you can do it to access your previously read and favorite manga series. Chapters can also be downloaded for offline use, although they will only be available for 7 days. If the series is currently ongoing, the first 3 and last 3 chapters will be available to read for free. However, only the first 3 chapters will be available to read for free for the finished series. The app does have a dedicated section for chapters currently available for free. Paid users can access up to 100 chapters a day. You can avail of a 7-day free trial to check out all the app features before taking a subscription.
Top Titles: My Hero Academia, Dragon Ball series, JoJo’s Bizzare Adventures Platform Available: Web, Android, and iOS Price: 7-day free trial; Subscription: $1.99/month onwards
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2. Crunchyroll Manga – Best Manga App for Anime Enthusiasts
While Crunchyroll is mostly popular for its anime library, its manga section can easily hold its own against it. And even though the app interface might look a little dated, the titles available make up for it. Though, to use the app, you will need to sign in using your Crunchyroll account credentials. Once in, you can sort through the titles using different filters, and access your favorite and bookmarked series. Again, you have the option of either swiping right or using the slider for switching between chapter panels. However, the one thing that we noticed in Crunchyroll Manga is the limited availability of free content. While some chapters can be read for free, they’re usually limited in number. For most titles, the subscription limitation starts right after the first chapter. Crunchyroll Manga manga doesn’t have its separate subscription available and comes bundled with the standard Crunchyroll subscription. You can also avail of a 14-day free trial before going for the full subscription and test its features in advance. However, the iOS app showed a minor lag for us when switching between different titles. We hope developers fix it soon. Further, you can only subscribe using the Crunchyroll Manga desktop app.
Top Titles: Space Brothers, Re:Monster, Inside Mari Platform Available: Web, Android, and iOS Price: 14-day free trial; Subscription: $7.99/month onwards
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3. WEBTOON – Best Free Manga Reading App
The Webtoon app is home to not just manga, but also manhwas, webcomics, short stories, and more. It also has a vast library of original content. One of the best free manga reader apps, most titles available on Webtoon are free to read. And while you need to create a profile to access features like reading lists, unlock episodes, etc. the free titles can be read even without signing in. Here, you will have to vertically scroll instead of swipe to move between panels. Most episodes available in the app become free once they’ve been released for the week. For certain completed series, you also get a daily pass that can unlock any 1 episode every day for free for a maximum of 14 days. For those who want to read ahead, there are additional episodes available that are usually locked behind coins. However, coin purchases are device and language-specific. For example, if you’ve purchased coins for your Android app with the language set as English, you cannot use them for your iOS app or any other language. Additionally, you can only use 1 device per account. While you do have the option of deregistering your previous devices, you can only reregister up to 3 devices a month.
Top Titles: The Remarried Empress, Island, Sweet Home Platform Available: Web, Android, and iOS Price: Free; Coins: $0.99/pack onwards
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4. INKR Comics – Game-Changing Manga Reader App
A relative newcomer, the INKR Comics team was previously known for their successful manga aggregator, Manga Rock. Although a little late to the party, their manga collection is already the talk of the town. While the first few chapters for most titles are free, once the paywall starts, you only get access to the chapter preview. You can also access certain app features like reading free chapters without signing in. INKR Comics offers excellent personalized recommendations through the use of its smart AI tools. Once you’re signed in, AI will analyze your content selection and reading history to recommend similar titles. You can use vertical scrolling for changing panels. However, pages can be slow to load at times. Also, tapping on certain tiles present within the app might end up loading blank pages when opened. While the free app has ads, you can get them removed by getting a subscription. For the paid content, you can either rent the chapters for a limited period using ink or buy them for indefinite reading using coins. Ink can also be traded for coins. Subscribed members also get additional perks like a free window to read new releases before they’re locked, and the ability to download chapters for offline use.
Top Titles: Attack on Titan, The Seven Deadly Sins, Tokyo Revengers Platform Available: Web, Android, and iOS Price: 7-day free trial; Subscription: $3.75/month onwards
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5. MANGA Plus by SHUEISHA – The Underrated Manga Reading App
Those who have used MANGA Plus must’ve noticed the great similarity in the titles available on Shonen Jump. Since MANGA Plus used to be called Shonen Jump+, this is no coincidence. With a variety of titles available in English and Spanish, the MANGA Plus by SHUEISHA app is owned by the original publisher of many of Shonen Jump’s titles, Shueisha. So here, while you do have access to several free chapters, certain ongoing titles may only contain 6 chapters in total, the first 3 and the last 3. These are the original chapters currently locked behind a paywall in the Shonen Jump app and with no Manga Plus subscription available. The only other way to get around this is to hide the chapters. As the chapters update, the last 3 chapters will also change. Unlike other apps, here you can choose between horizontal and vertical scrolling to move between chapter panels. You can use the MANGA Plus by SHUEISHA without signing in to any account. Additionally, you can enter your name, add an avatar, and leave comments in the chapter’s comment section. Several legacy titles are also available to read without the need for any subscription.
Top Titles: Naruto, One Piece, Tokyo Ghoul Platform Available: Web, Android, and iOS Price: Free
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6. WebComics – Your Go-to Manga Reader App
Just like other apps on this list, the WebComics app also has a limited number of chapters from each title available for free. You can easily access the app even without an account and use features like reading the free chapters. Although to access paid chapters, you will need to sign in to the app. Here, you can use vertical swiping to switch between chapter panels. You can download chapters for offline reading as well. With multiple creators affiliated with it, the WebComics app also has a significant number of original titles available on its platform. Paid titles will require purchased gems or coins to unlock chapters. However, you can also complete tasks, watch ads or maintain daily check-in streaks to get free gems and other perks that can help you unlock paid chapters for free. The app also comes with a ‘Wait For Free’ section where you can get a free chapter every 24 hours. However, if you don’t want the hassle of purchasing separate gem packs every time you read a paid title, you can also opt for the premium subscription. Although, it is only available for the English version of the WebComics Android app. For the web and iOS apps, you can only use gems to unlock chapters.
Top Titles: Strongest Cultivation System, The Devil Butler, The Last Hero Platform Available: Web, Android, and iOS Price: Free; GEMS: $2.99/pack onwards; Premium: $5.99/month onwards
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Your Manga Your Way
While there are many apps available, we’ve tried our best to compile a list of the best manga reader apps available for Android and iPhone. If you have any other apps that you use to satisfy your manga cravings, let us know in the comments below. You can also hop over to our other article to know more about the best anime streaming apps. The above article may contain affiliate links which help support Guiding Tech. However, it does not affect our editorial integrity. The content remains unbiased and authentic.
